Deseeding and cleaning machine



M. C. WIDGER -DESEEDING AND GLEANING'MACHINE l March 16, 1943.

Filed Sept. l1; 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 y MAX C. WIDGER. INVENTR BY 62%. W

1 AT MRNEY Marh16,1943`. M C wlD-GER 2,313,791

DESEEDING AND CLEANING MACHINE Filed sept. 11, 1940 s 'sheets-sheet 2 .MAX C. WIDGER., INVENTUR TMRNEY March 16, 1943.Y MfcgwlDqGER 2,313,791

DESEEDING AND' CLEANING lMACHINE Filed Sept. 11, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 MAX c., WIDGER, INVENTDR ATTORNEY 'without the payment Patented Mar. 16, 1943 DESEEDING AND CLEAMNG MAonmn Max` Widger, Corvallis, Oreg. Applicationsept'ern'ber V171, 1940, Serial No. y356,306

I (ol. 1st-13) (Granted under the act Vof lMarch 3,'1883, as

amended April 30,1328; 370 O. G. 757) l Claim.

This application is made under the act of MarchrS, 1883, as amended by the act of yApril `30,` 1928, and the invention herein described and claimed, if patented, may be manufactured and used byor for the Government of the UnitedV vStates of America for governmental purposes t'o me of any royalty thereon.

I hereby dedicate the invention herein described to the free use of the People in the territory of the United States to take effect on the granting of a patent to me.

l This invention relates to machines for removing `the seed from flax or other plants `and especially to machines adapted to be used in connectionor association with retting and decortieating processes, in order to remove the seed from the stock before it is placed in retting tanks or fed into a decorticating machine. In the operation of retting flax, for example, it is highly important to remove all of the seed before the straw is placed in the retting tanks, as otherwise the intrinsic value of the seed is impaired.

Ihe present invention has for its object the provision of a deseeder, by means of which the separation of the seed from the straw is accomplished more eiciently and without injury to the seed or to the straw. Another object of this invention is the provision of means for combing or straightening out the straw in such a manner that the iiax or other stock, after removal of the seeds, is in proper condition for retting or decorticating without further processing operations.

An embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view, partly in section;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view, partly in section; and

Figure 3 is a plan view with parts broken away;

Figure 4 is an end View of one of the comb drum assemblies with a part of the casing removed to show interior arrangement.

Figure 5 is a side View of Figure 4.

Referring with more particularity to the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts, the machine is carried by a suitable frame structure II in which is disposed a wheel I2. This wheel is rotatably mounted on a Xed longitudinal shaft I3. The wheel I2 is provided with a rim I4 of a yieldable material, such as rubber, the periphery of which contains circumferential grooves I5. On top of the wheel I2 there is disposed a belt and pulley assembly consisting of two main pulleys I5 and I'I rotatably mounted between two bearing plates `I 8 and I3, `said plates being yieldably secured to frame members 20 and 2l by means of pins 22, 23, 24, and 25, and cushions of rubber 26, or other suitable resilient material, between the frame members 20 and 2| and the bearing plates t8 and i3. The pulleys 'I6 and II carry belts 2l, preferably the V-type,

slotted bearings 3E) and 3| for said shafts, respectively, and by providing threaded nuts 32 and 33 on the outer threaded ends of said shafts,

lsothat they can be secured in different positions insaid slots.

This arrangementv permits proper tensioning of the belts 2l. Between said pulleys I6 and I'I additional pulleys 34 are mounted across the plates I8 and I9. These pulleys abut the belts 2l and hold them in position in the grooves I5 on an arc of the rim I4. Power is delivered to the wheel I2 by any suitable means. The means shown in the drawings consists of a sprocket 35 concentrically secured to the hub of the wheel engaging a chain 35 driven by sprocket 3l of a shaft 38 powered by motor 39. When the wheel I2 is rotated, it frictionally engages belts 2'I and causes them to move about the pulleys I6, I'I and 34.

On each side of the wheel I2 there is disposed the comb drum assemblies 40 and 4I. Each of these assemblies consists of a pair of spaced discs 42, 43 and 44, 45, respectively, held in position by spacing bars 46 and 4'I, respectively. Between the discs 42 and 43 there are mounted a plurality of combing units 48. These combing units are each lixed to a rotatable shaft 43, substantially as shown. Some of the teeth 50 of these combs are narrowly spaced and the remaining teeth 5I are relatively widely spaced, as shown in Figure 5. The teeth 52 of the combs 53 in the other comb drum assembly 4I are all widely spaced and are mounted similar to the combs in the assembly 40, by means of shafts 54 rotatably mounted between discs 44 and 45. The teeth ln the assembly 4I are for the removal of dirt from the root ends of the straw and are spaced accordingly, While the teeth in the assembly 40 are for removing the seed from the straw, the Widely spaced teeth 5I acting to rst straighten out the straw without damage before it reaches the closely spaced teeth 50 which comb out the seed. The shafts 49, 54 extend through the discs 42, 44 and each is provided with a sprocket 55,

56, respectively. Each assembly 40, 4I is rotatably mounted on a stationary shaft 5I, 58, respectively, provided with sprockets 59, 6I), there being one sprocket for each of the combs of the assemblies. Each of the sprockets 59, B is connected to its adjacent sprocket 55, 56 by means of a suitable sprocket chain I, 62. The sprockets 55, 5t and 59, B0 are of 'the same size and the combs of the assemblies 40 and 4I are normally in a vertical position. Consequently, any rotation of the assemblies 4I] and 4I about the stationary shafts 51, 58 rotates the shafts 49, 54 justV enough to maintain the combs in a vertical position. Rotation of these comb drum assemblies may be accomplished by any suitable means. The means illustrated are as follows: Power from the motor V39 is applied through a belt 63 and pulleys 54 and 65 to a shaft 66 which is geared by means of sprockets 61 and 68 and a chain 55 to the shaft 'I0 mounted between'the two comb drum assemblies 4I! and 4I. Beneath the shaft I0, another shaft 1I is mounted parallel. These shafts I0 and II are geared to each other by means of meshed gears l2 and T3 secured to saidfshafts, respectively. Due to this gearing the shafts 'Ill and 'II operate in opposite directions. The shaft 'IG is provided with sprocket I4 which is connected to another sprocket 'I5 secured to the disc 43, by means of the chain 16. Similarly, the shaft II is provided with a sprocket 'I'l which is connected to another sprocket 'I3 secured to the disc 44 by means of a chain 19.

In operation, the bundles of flax are arranged with the seed ends in one direction. The bands holding the bundles together are then cut and the straw spread as a mat. This mat with the straw parallel to the axis of the wheel I2 is fed into the machine so as to be caught between the wheel I2 and the belts 21. As the straw moves around with the wheel I2, it is pressed into the grooves I5 by the belts and held firmly against the cushion surface of the wheel. At the same time the comb drum assemblies and 4I are revolving which causes the teeth of the comb to engage the portions'of the straw protruding laterally from the wheel I2. The straw should be introduced into the machine so that the root ends of the straw are on the sides of the assembly 4I,`while the seed ends are on the side of the assembly 40. The combs of the assembly 4 I', engaging the straw, remove dirt and Weeds from the root ends, while the teeth of the assembly 40 first straighten the protruding straw and then strip the seed therefrom. The straw continues to pass around with the wheel I2 at the point Where the periphery of the wheel and the belts 21 separate. At this point, the straw is collected for further processing. n

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a machine of the character described having a. wheel rotatably mounted and means associated with a portion of the periphery of said wheel for gripping plant stalks, drums stradolling said Wheel, stationary shafts rotatably supporting said drums, a plurality of combs carried by said drums to act successively upon the ends of grain stalks held on said wheel, said combs being in parallel planes, and positive means between said shafts and said combs for maintaining said combs at a constant angle with respect to the grain stalks.

MAX C. WIDGER. 

